


Red Messenger

by whalesfloatinginthesky



Series: Red Messenger [1]
Category: No. 6 - All Media Types, No. 6 - Asano Atsuko
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Fantasy, Fluff, I like the premise and plot of it like the aesthetics in my head are great to me, M/M, Nezushi - Freeform, hope you guys like it too, nezushi - reform, royal AU!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-31
Updated: 2018-01-23
Packaged: 2019-02-24 12:10:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13213488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whalesfloatinginthesky/pseuds/whalesfloatinginthesky
Summary: Belonging to the Red Kingdom that had long collapsed, Shion decided to be a royal messenger (in secret) with a neutral moral compass to travel freely and happily along the nine (surviving) kingdoms to learn more about the world while delivering messages quickly and efficiently despite the dangers that present themselves in front of him ever so often.





	1. I'm Doing Fine

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [No. 6](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/347772) by Atsuko Asano. 



“Your majesty, where have you been?” A small boy asked desperately as he dashed towards the prince. The small boy, as he appeared to the prince, naive yet somehow smart and clever. His delicate and plump cheeks had some bright rosy red swirls on it, resembling blush. He had bright blue hair that was short and unkempt most of the time, it formed many varying patterns on his head each time he woke up. It was highly amusing each time. The prince rubbed the base of his chin with a smug smile curling up on one side of his lips.He pulled on the sides of his hair that hung loosely off the sides of his face rather awkwardly as they looked at each other with half smiles and furrowed brows. Just when the suspicions began to grow in the servant’s big, deer-like eyes, he began to laugh dramatically, his voice echoing off the red walls that were laced with gold leaves and velvet flowers. “The theatre, of course!” He exclaimed from the pits of his stomach as his eyes struggled to light up. That seemed to ease the servant’s nerves just enough for him to add a punchline to end the conversation. “What did you expect from me, honestly?” He asked amusingly, flashing one of his most charming smiles. As usual, he blushed a little bit in response but he remained silent this time, holding his peace until the very end of it all. The boy rubbed the side of his head, scratching the crook of his head as he bit his lower lip as an act to hold himself back. “Your majesty, I’m sure it will not be wise to constantly go there every day… Even with your disguise… Aren't you afraid that someone would recognise you at all?” He asked as if making a plea deal for his life or something similar of that nature.

 

“Pinkie,” the prince said, his voice now cold and monotonous. “No one in the town knows me as Nezumi or ‘The Prince Of The Red City’. Seriously, I just go by Eve. You have nothing to worry about, really!” He reassured him as he moved his hands and limbs in a way that was graceful and elegant to most. He cracked a smile, one that was a little less than authentic before averting his gaze to face the floor he stood on. “Sorry, your majesty,” he muttered, his cheeks burning a bright red as he spoke. As always, Nezumi began to laugh but only mildly as he recognised the severity of his actions like most sensible princes did. With that, they gave each other some short goodbyes and they were off on their way. Nezumi first watched the boy dash from where he stood to the nearest chamber, where a meeting of some kind was held. After that, with hurried steps, Nezumi went towards his room, shutting the door behind him and quickly sunk into his little paradise of silent literature that surrounded him. Unlike others, he figured this gave him a new breath of life, like some fresh air. It was not some prison, which sucks the life out of him that people would constantly half assume whenever they saw the interior of his glorious room. He grabbed a book and began to read it, his silver eyes scanning through the words that filled the pages with straight lines and with that, in an instant, he was drawn into the whole premise of the story -- the reality he was in was out like a light.

 

The scenery outside was melancholic: the sky was bright red, laced with lines with beautiful shades of browns, yellows and oranges; clouds floated along the sky, creating thin strings and tuffs of cloud that would gradient out into nothing; pure white snow formed on the edges of trees and bushes, plus, loose twigs that poked out from the thick carpet of snow. The chilly wind blew into his room through the gaps in his window that was supposedly closed shut. Nezumi quickly buried his pretty face into the narrative of the leather-bound book, adrenaline rushing through his veins as he narrated the story to himself, in a dramatic and beautiful manner. He spoke so that his words clearly and beautifully pronounced, emotion seeping into every word he spoke. In addition, his arm gestures, his general body posture and his voice quality, in general, was a thousand percent beautiful. He performed for no one, in his makeshift, metaphorical theatre that had thick blankets and quilts for a roof and a huge base of pillows were the floors and foundations. “Dinner!” A familiar voice called out, opening the door wide open to let long, striking ribbons of corridor light pour into the dark, dingy room. Nezumi peered through the gaps of the blankets, his steel eyes began to glow eerily as if he was staring at his prey. Once their eyes met, the young boy screamed and dashed away, tears streaming down his blue eyes as he screamed for help at the top of his lungs.

 

“Damn you, then. I’ll get dinner whenever I want,” he retorted silently to himself as he shifted his legs to sit more comfortably. He pulled the blanket further along the crown of his head, smiling and snickering triumphantly as he continued to narrate the book in his own unique, eccentric and elegant way. The hours began to tick by unnoticed -- unchecked -- as he continued to read. Several pages in, no, several chapters and several books in, his eyes were becoming more bloodshot by the second and his calm voice became drowned out by his exhaustion and the blankets. The second reminder of dinner came in but this time, his predatory gaze barely fazed the boy. He walked in nonchalantly to place the cold meal by his foot before walking out again. “Hey, your majesty, please eat your dinner and sleep,” he reminded the prince again, his high voice tinged with irritation. Nezumi laughed heartily, waving his comment away immediately with a cocky smirk. Once the door closed behind him, he grabbed the plate and stood up, his legs moving comically and extremely dramatically as his arms stretched out and began to wolf down on his cold fried chicken and vegetables. The macaroni and cheese were still decently warm so he left that for last. He recited the lines again and again from the books he read, with passion and love being poured into every word. Nothing he said truly made sense but it did to him and that was what mattered most. Mice poked their lazy and sleepy heads out from the depths of his pockets once his voice became too loud. He stretched his arms out, twirling around in his room like a giddy teenager before his tall frame fell flat on his actual bed, with the plate conveniently placed next to his messy hair. “I’ll sleep whenever I want too, Pinky. Ha! Try me! I’ll stay up the whole night, Ha Ha Ha!” He boasted his smile contempt and excited as he continued to nibble on his meal for a little longer while giving a little bit of his “disgusting” vegetables to the mice.

 

“Good night,” he muttered while fluttering his eyes closed.

 

* * *

 

“Three please!” Shion beamed, pointing towards the slabs of meat that hung off metal hooks loosely and limply. Unlike many stalls in the market, this one sold large slabs of meat -- usually gamey meat like venison, quails, woodcocks and anything that he could barely dream of imagining. Each and every slice, chunk and pack of meat was laid out in front of him, neatly in long straight lines; each bit of it attracted their own family of flies and much bigger men that would flock there in the late afternoon. Shion watched the old, hairy man grab three steaks and placed them in front of him. He contained his excited smile that was beginning to grow wider and brighter the longer he stared at the fat that marbled along the surface of the pink meat; sooner or later, his eyes began to glitter and glimmer a little bit more than usual, allowing them to appear like a red sea on a summer’s day, with beads of light forming random lines. He laughed when the shopkeeper asked if there was anything else that caught his attention -- was it that obvious? “No thanks. Thank you so much for your service, though!” He replied and handed him the money promptly before mustering all of his strength to lift the whole thing up, to pull it higher above his chest. He smiled and parted ways with a childish wave and a little smile since he had no energy left to speak. As he dragged his feet along the cobblestone path, every bone along his back formed a steep arch and tensed up, his muscles were sore in less than a couple of minutes too. The snow didn’t help in his plight either; the snow was covering his ankles now. It was so much better yesterday, he groaned to himself as he trekked his way into the forest on the way home.

 

The forest was mostly a bright, vibrant cranberry red with hints of warm hot pink dotted within the depths of the foliage and snow. The trees were sparse and the branches were made of nothing but dried, falling red leaves that survived since the last day of Autumn. Surrounding him, was a sky that seemed to be a bright blue colour, tainted with only a few grey clouds. How odd… It had been a while since the sky was that colour, Shion figured to himself as he continued walking, thinking that there was no time to stop for the sake of his back and skinny body. He trekked along the snow, his feet struggling to create prints in the snow to move forward. The cold wind began to blow, lightly tapping him on his face and exposed arms that he should hurry, for which a storm was going to come. In addition, this storm would be so strong that it would knock over the tall, skinny and ebony trees with sturdy and hard bases at the bottom magnificently. He gulped out of fear, relishing the sight of the bright blue sky, which should be the absolute and even perfect norm for him to expect and now, to appreciate. As the blues that coloured the sky dulled to form a deep shade of grey, he found himself walking at a faster pace. He charged forward desperately, along with the rhythm of his thumping heart, against the direction of the wind that literally froze the pores of his skin. He peered through the bags of meat, his red eyes widening in fear as thunder began to roar in the distance. “Damn it,” he muttered to himself as he forced himself to move quicker than before despite his legs that were not strong enough. Cold sweat trickled down his sweat as the warm red tones of the woods began to fade into a warm, dull grey that was highly intimidating. Still, despite the odds never being on his side from the get-go, he made it back home, safe and sound, albeit with a few scratches from twigs and bushes.

 

“Mom, I’m home!” He called out instinctively as he closed the door behind him. He flicked on the switch to allow a bright light to flood the room. Upon hearing his voice, a woman with chocolate hair and a pair of brown hazel eyes popped up from the corner of the wall to look at him. Upon meeting his eyes, she smiled brightly from ear to ear and she immediately came to his aid. “Welcome home,” she beamed while taking two of the bags away from him. In that moment, he began to smile brightly and heave a sigh of relief when he felt the meaty burdens fly off his back and bones; he followed after her while busily chatting about what happened within the time that he was gone, his face was peppered with a beautiful and delicate berry red that complimented his eyes well; in response, she smiles and nods in agreement, her smile never leaving his pretty face. “You know, you don’t have to get so much next time since you have a pretty bad back,” she suggested with a smile as she opened one of the bags to fish out a piece of meat to begin slicing it delicately. He nodded in agreement, rubbing his lower back in exhaustion while gazing outside blankly. These days, he thought, the sky was turning redder than usual, even when the rain fell from a thunderous storm. Less light entered through the windows. More clouds gathered along the sky, forming large clumps that barely moved as they blocked the sunlight. Small drops of rain fell and they formed lines of water on the glass windows. I shouldn’t get my hopes too high, an instance of a simple drizzle would be the day where I would see a beautiful unicorn born out of rainbow’s arse, it would be a damned storm with a red sky. 

 

“It’s always a storm out here, huh, Shion?” She smiled gently as she prepared several plates and the frying pan to cook. He hummed and nodded in agreement, with a smile before taking his coat off and placing it on his arm comfortably. In the midst of the silence, he left the presence of his mother to walk up the creaky stairs that were drenched with moisture and age towards his room. Unlike most days, he felt his footsteps being heavier and slower, being closely spaced between each other. Hmm… I must be damn exhausted, he figured as he continued to climb up the stairs towards a pit of darkness that was redolent with old books, lavender and bitter, traditional medicines. He flipped the switch on, so he could see the clutter and mess in his room a little better. Sighing pensively, a quiet smile crept up on his face as he placed his old brown coat on the edge of the unmade bed, in favour of wrapping a deep red one around his arm. His fingers grazed along the seams of the soft finish and edge of the velvet that wrapped around the back of the hood as nostalgia filled him up. He chuckled bitterly when he slipped the new coat on, covering his plain, light coloured vest and pants. When he did so, he felt its warmth wrap around him, enveloping him in a smooth and relaxing comfort, much like a tender and sincere hug. The one thing he had always admired about it was the fine details that laced every button and seam of the coat. There were intricate, gold flowers handmade embroidery along the pockets and on the tip of the oversized hood that covered all of his face in a sea of shadow other than his mouth; there was somewhat thick cotton padding on the underside of the hood to act as a pillow whenever he slept in the cold forests; the buttons were round with huge Aster flowers in the middle, reminiscent of his name. He pulled it tighter around his small frame, basking in its warmth before opening the curtains to witness the storm that blew the trees off their feet. 

 

Out of fear and intimidation, he closed the curtains quicker than how he drew them open in the beginning. He breathed heavily, his heart thumping against the walls of his heart and chest while cold shots of fear rushed through him. At the sight that was beyond his window, he hesitantly shuffled back to the edge of his bed, cold sweat dripping down his temples. Sighing, he fumbled through one of his many pockets to fish out several letters that were stuffed within the depths of them. His fingers gently peeled the old tape away to read the pristine letter within the old and worn out envelopes. Biting his lips, he scanned them again while reading them out loud to himself. “Hey, Shion, it’s been awhile… Can we meet again soon? I know it’s strange… since you’re used to expecting deliveries from the Blue Kingdom. Anyways, about my question, it’s been years since I had seen your eyes and also, I want you to see the Yellow Kingdom since it’s my home now. Well, I’m going off now, goodbye, Shion. Cheers, Safu.” He attempted to fold the letter as beautifully as it came in before he fished it out of the beautiful envelope. It had been only a day but he knew what he wanted to say so as the storm continued to brew on outside, he grabbed some paper and a pen to begin to pen down his thoughts in a way that was as simple and clear-cut as her style in writing. Shion bit his lip and breathed in, his hands trembling as he wrote down his sentences. Proper grammar and sentence structure seemed to slip past his mind as he wrote the rhythm of the branches tapping on the edge of the rain-stained window. “Hello! Yes, it’s been a long time. Okay, I’ll be there! Shion.” he wrote down on the paper before suddenly thinking of another idea that seemed to be so much better, especially in the “shocking” and “surprise” department of things. He laughed and placed it in the envelope anyway since it would be needed. The next step, he guessed, was to place it in the depths of one of his pockets and head off to the Yellow Kingdom to deliver the sloppy-looking letter (relative to Safu’s one, of course).

 

* * *

 

“So, Nezumi, is it?” The queen sitting across of him asked curiously, her smile unchanging as she stared at him. Those eyes, they were grey and lifeless like old marble, she thought; this one seems too chirpy to be an actual queen, he thought. To that frequently asked question, he laughed, his deep and calming voice rang through the air to melt the hearts of every living creature in the room with them both. He sighed and continued to hold eye contact with the queen, knowing all too well that he was lower than her so respect in his mannerisms and speech was absolutely necessary and not negotiable by any means. He kind of lost it a long time ago to some old man who never treated him well, even if it would not show most of the time, so it was a shock to him to realise that he still had it. “Yes, your highness, it is I, Nezumi without a last name. It’s nice to make your acquaintance,” he replied calmly, his smile barely sincere and his heart burning to go home. They shook hands briefly and loosely, one of them was definitely more hesitant and nervous than the other one. It didn’t take an idiot or any one of their attendants and servants to realise that the atmosphere between them both was tense and horribly awkward. Nezumi cracked a smile and poured her another cup of tea, following what the dining etiquette school had always taught him: be a gentleman. She thanked him kindly for placing the sugars in herself. Again, she initiated a conversation to ease the atmosphere, “I suppose you know what you’re here for and we’re on the same page with regards to the treaty, yes?” His ears perked up and his eyes were immediately full of life as he hummed in agreement. He rested an elbow on the table while crossing his legs. He played with a strand of hair that fell to his face. He sipped his tea while the papers began to lay out in front of him.

 

His eyes quickly began to light up and sparkle at the sight of them, they just proved that he won in the end. Unlike him, she was dull as her posture arched forward. On her round features, there was a deep set frown pulling down on her face that made her look centuries older and sadder. He placed his teacup down gently on the table, careful not to spill anything, making her jump as a result; his fingers moved along the edges of the documents, delicate in his mannerisms and expression while reading through everything. The paper was a sharp and clean white colour, without any tinges of a bright ivory colour, in addition, the words were handwritten in the best quality black India ink. Naturally, Nezumi was highly impressed, this was as prim and as proper as the queen herself -- he had never seen or felt something like this before. He hummed a soft song that he knew so well as he scanned through the documents, carefully looking out for what was necessary to take note of for future use. A coy and playful smile twitched on one corner of his lips as he continued to read the delicately handwritten documents. “Why, thank you, your highness. I’ll be sure to take care of the assets that you have mentioned here,” he replied with a smile as he placed the documents back onto the clean wooden tables. She smiled kindly as her posture relaxed enough for her to rest on the back of the chair, it seemed reasonable to do since his presence was calming but highly intimidating. As graceful as he was, he was too pretty to be docile. The queen gulped the moment the smile on his face disappeared to form a discontent frown. She asked if there was something that was not up to standards but he shrugged and waved her question away as quickly as she asked it. “Aren’t you surprised, your highness?” He asked, his gaze suddenly becoming cold and soulless as he poured himself another cup of overly sweetened tea. Glancing up at the queen again, it was empowering to see her sigh sullenly to answer one of his many questions. He shrugged as he waited for her answer that would usually be prissy and perfect.

 

“In what way, Nezumi?” She asked, her eyebrows raised as she looked at the prince mysteriously. He was truly something special -- he was no royal but he sure as hell played the part well. He smiled, finally understanding the situation as he began to chuckle a little bit before uncrossing his legs to lean forward to face her. For that moment, she was absolutely concerned and weirded out. Cold shivers of shock ran up her spine as she placed one too many sugar cubes into her tea and Nezumi took that as his cue to explain his own opinion. “Well, you see Queen Safu -- I mean your highness. I’m not a prince. I’m not born one, anyways. I’m not royal blood. And yet, doesn’t it disgust or shock you that you’re treating me as if I was your equal?” He asked, cocking his head to one side, hoping to get a visual reaction from the pretty queen. Failing under pressure, she began to laugh, her cheeks burning a bright red as she slammed her fists against the table, causing some tea to spill onto the white tablecloth. He widened his eyes, sitting in silence while staring at her without a pretty or complicated word leaving his pale lips; he sat on the chair, frozen and awkward. Almost instantly, she regained her composure and regained eye contact with this man. “What a prick you are,” she mumbled jokingly, earning a smile from Nezumi in response. He sipped on his cold tea before stacking the documents up again, in their originally pristine order. “Well… You are a prince now and that’s final. How I treat you is my call -- my wishes and decision, not yours, Nezumi,” she replied truthfully, her way of speaking both elegant and professional. With that, the both of them were calm and silent as they sipped on their tea together. 

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure walk towards her. It seemed to be pretty small and had an innocent aura emanating off of it, like a child; its footsteps were quick and hurried as if to get it over and done with quickly; it barely says any words as it fumbled through its pockets as if to look for something. An envelope was handed to the queen rather quickly and briefly, much to her surprise as her eyes began to light up. “Just who are you?” She smiled, glancing towards the figure as she scanned through the contents of the letter repeatedly with a smile that stretched from ear to ear. Her pale face was blossoming a bright red that would spread across her face. Nezumi seemed curious as well as he looked at the figure inquisitively, wondering what about this figure was so awkward and strange, in general. She placed the letter on the table, using the teacup as a paperweight, hoping for an answer from it but to no avail, much to her disappointment. As the figure about to leave, Nezumi’s classic and straightforward voice pierced through the overwhelming silence. “Hey, answer the queen’s question. I’m pretty curious too!” He mentioned, jumping off his chair and sauntering towards the figure calmly with a smirk twitching on one corner of his lips. The figure turned around in shock when the prince held onto the figure’s shoulders softly and firmly, pushing him towards the queen. “Hey! What are you doing?” A soft voice demanded sternly while stomping on his foot like an immature child throwing a tantrum in an attempt to get what he wanted. Nezumi arched an eyebrow, shaking off all of his questions to the side with one reply that sliced through all of the questions and doubts, “It’s ‘Your Highness’. Stop asking so many questions -- that’s my command so fulfil it.”

 

Once the figure managed to steady itself in front of the queen, it gulped and waited for her to say something. Nezumi sat across from the queen, folding his arms and crossing his legs while staring at the both of them absentmindedly, anticipation riding through his veins as the events began to unfold in front of him. She flipped through the letter again, with a small smile appearing on her lips while toying with the edges of the letter. After several minutes of pure silence, her face immediately grew a bright red while mumbling to herself, “How’re you doing, Shion? Have you been eating well?” Her light-hearted expression relaxing the mood in the meeting room. All of a sudden felt a pure shot of comfort and warmth flowing through her veins even when the figure was staring at her. Warm tears formed at the edges of her eyes as she placed more sugars into her tea in an effort to relieve herself of stress, sadness and simple nostalgia in a way. “I’m fine. Also, I haven’t eaten lunch yet,” the figure replied quickly. His voice was kind-hearted and awfully gentle, making Nezumi regret his tone previously. Under the large oversized hood that shielded the figure’s face in shadow, he was able to feel a fond and nice smile forming. He widened his eyes as he continued to look at the figure, able to acknowledge that it was a male one, a cute and childlike one at best. The queen widened her eyes as her jaw dropped as she jerked her head towards him. As she demanded to know more, a pair of hands held onto the edge of the hood and he removed the hood away, revealing a face full of round, gentle features that reflected the mood in the atmosphere -- awkward and tensed. He glanced around, clearly panicking and tripping over his words while putting the hood over his head again out of embarrassment. He bowed to the both of them repeatedly, muttering apologies as his face burned a bright red to match the colour of his hood. 


	2. Beautiful Thing

“Shion, what are you doing here?” The queen broke the silence with her words. The boy pulled down his hood again so she could take a better glance at his features that were gentle and kind. His eyes glimmered in a pretty way; his smile was relaxing and calming to look at; his posture was awkward and stiff, making him even more endearing than the usual boy who would be found wandering around the street. He giggled and rubbed the back of his head hesitantly while finding the power within him to make eye contact between them both. “I well… I thought I should give it to you in person… I didn’t know you were in the middle of something… Sorry about that,” Shion replied, his smile apologetic and bright. He took in a deep breath and sighed again before gazing around the meeting room, appreciating the atmosphere. Its walls were several shades of bright lemon yellows to pastel ones, with several paintings for a little bit more colour. The floor was a white marble with irregular black patterns that provided it interest and delicate lines of contrast. Hanging above them in the middle of the ceiling was a chandelier made of fancy jewels, crystals and beautiful stones each one of them carved delicately to suit the simple design of it. It emanated a pretty rose pink glow, resembling a late summer sunset sky. The room was indeed a little barer than most royal meeting rooms. The small table with a pair of chairs facing each other on both ends of it were the only pieces of legitimate furniture if any at all. He never remarked anything or his opinions about the room, especially when his mind had dozed off a little bit while glancing around. “I’ll be going now, sorry for this, I’ll be leaving now,” he said again smiling innocently before walking away. Looking at the queen with a childish glint in his eyes, Nezumi sniggered and shook his head disappointedly. Huffing, she stood up and went after the boy only to wrap her arms around his shoulders and pulling him closer. His eyes widened as his body shook out of surprise as a sinister chuckling in the background complimented the tone of the atmosphere in between them.

 

“Shion, please come back more… I miss you so much,” she whispered, her voice full of sadness that was clear and unavoidable. He jerked his head back in shock to see tears pooling at the edges of her eyes. She forced a smile as she silently wept while forcing a smile to appear on her face. She pulled him closer subconsciously as she continued to cry tears of happiness -- it seemed. His face became a bright shade of red, as red as a tomato it seemed. “If you have to cry, don’t force yourself to smile,” he reassured, his eyes clear with innocence. He grinned and moved further away from her to face her, to look at her wet and tear-filled eyes more clearly. It was expected, he smiled at her and all of a sudden she felt right at home again, like she came back to a warm “Coming Home” party with all of her favourite food. He bowed gentlemanly while lifting his head up to look at the queen with a light-hearted smile. “Besides, you did a wonderful job with the Yellow Kingdom! It’s really pretty all around… ” He praised, clapping his hands joyfully like an over joyful and playful seal. Shion grinned again as he lifted the hood over his head quietly before leaving her behind with a few awkward goodbyes. After that, it was as if he never existed. He dashed out as soon as he could; he was silent the entire time and he never caused much, if any, trouble along the way. Safu stared in shock as his silhouette slowly faded away into the bright lights of the hallway that stretched beyond her grasp. “Your Highness,” a familiar voice called out coyly, snapping her back to the reality at hand. She jerked her head back to see the prince lift his legs up to rest on the edge of the table. He twirled with his hair prettily, his movements delicate and somewhat beautiful and graceful, with a mocking smile pulling up on one corner of his lips. 

“Your Highness… As cute as that boy was,” he remarked, enjoyment spreading across his face as he leant forward, his fingers intertwined with each other on his lap. He cocked his head to one side when the queen looked at him with a dejected sigh, her face a shade of ruby red. “We have a meeting to settle. Don’t you agree, your highness?” He asked, extending his hand out elegantly in a poetic manner. His movements were graceful and elegant yet there were his personality and the words he spoke, ruining everything.

“Yes, your highness… I- No. Where was we? Let us continue,” she shot back, quickly regaining her composure as she spoke. It was obvious that she was nibbling on her lower lip to relieve herself of the stress nostalgia of her fairytale-like memories gave her. She returned to her seat, her posture upright and straight as before as she drank her cold tea. Nezumi lifted his legs off the table and crossed them again. He liked the sound of that very much as he poured himself another cup of tea to warm his insides again.

 

* * *

 

“How was the meeting, your highness?” The boy asked, smiling innocently as he gazed up to see his face that had a pale red colour flushing across his features. He rubbed the back of his head in what seemed like a shot of pure annoyance but a small smirk twisted into formation on the corner of his lips. He stopped all of a sudden, stretching his arms while groaning to relieve the stress that built up inside of him. “Oh, there was an interruption halfway… Sorry about that,” he said quietly while glancing over in his direction to make eye contact with the boy. In response, he grinned from ear to ear, his bright eyes lighting up as he took the documents in his hand to read them properly a couple of hours from then. The both of them continued to walk in silence, not speaking a single word to each other as they went towards their carriage under the protection of a pair of black umbrellas that hung over their heads. Thunder rumbled in the distance, complemented by strikes of lightning that formed impulsive bright white and neon patterns in the sky. Despite the darkness that surrounded them in the sky, the atmosphere in between them seemed a little more lively and airy. The boy cocked his head while staring at the prince in confusion as they continued to walk forward in silence as if nothing had happened before.

Upon reaching the dark, olive green carriage, Pinky immediately dashed forward to open the door open, panting slightly to maintain solid eye contact with him. Nezumi glanced at the boy, nodding while saying his thanks while nodding his head in acknowledgement. Once he was seemingly comfortable, Pinky scooted inside, closing the door behind them. As far as they knew, the officials were in another carriage that was behind them, discussing either the previous meeting’s details in private or the next one. They relaxed in the back of their seats, relieved that it was only the both of them inside of the carriage. Looking at each other, small smiles crept up on their faces as their backs slid down the back of the seats as they let out satisfied sighs. “Feeling a little better, your highness?” He asked, chuckling as he looked into the prince’s dark grey eyes that seemed to glimmer with life. 

It was strange, to say the least since he had never seen the prince wear a smile so big and beautiful before. He glanced over at the boy, smirking in delight while shaking his head and crossing his arms in defiance. He sat up straight again, crossing his legs to buy time before actually replying. “I mean that interruption, your highness… Was that about the intruder from earlier?” He asked, cocking his head with a coy smile forming on his lips. The prince began to laugh heartily, his face burning bright red in amusement and enjoyment. The boy shrugged, knowing damn well that it was an aimless question that was being thrown in the air, he was not really expecting an answer or anything of that sort. He laughed along too, knowing it was simply a misjudgement of the events that unfolded not too long ago. The carriage had past multiple buildings and many smaller cities that were tinted a pale and mellow shade of green. Through the gaps of the window, warm, soft sea breeze seeped in, giving them a reason to relax and fall asleep until they reached the castle where stress would envelop them again.

 

“Yes, you’re right,” he answered. Pinky gasped, widening his eyes while processing his answer. The prince giggled, turning himself to face him.

 

“Well… I guess he’s one of the goody-two-shoes of the queen’s. Though, I doubt he’s from the Yellow kingdom, might I dare say he ain’t from any kingdom at all… At least not any kingdom that I know of,” he continued, stretching his arms out to rest the back of his head on his sweaty palms. He closed his eyes, letting his head bob along to the rhythm of the horses moving along pebbles on the ground. Surprisingly for once, he sat up straight to observe the city that moved past him linearly. It was mostly small houses with equally small gardens out front. They looked rather similar, with boxy architecture, square windows, torn curtains plus a classic and simple wooden door that seemed decently welcoming to most. He cocked his head to the side, resting the side of his face on his palm while gazing out pensively. Humming a song, he felt the top of his eyelids become heavier as if to remind him that sleep is inevitable when it came to him, especially. “I guess I have to figure it out on my own… But still… I think I have seen that coat before… It’s not flashy in terms of the number of its worth, neither is it something that’s exclusive for certain people… I have seen it before but I can’t figure out why,” he said again, his voice laced with curiosity and absolute exhaustion. He closed his eyes and relaxed his posture; his head rolled off to one side to rest on his shoulder blade. “Pinky… Get me a pen and paper when we head back, okay,” he mumbled before slipping away into a realm of his own dreams and reality. 

 

* * *

 

As he sat up straight, back leaning against the headboard, a pen and some sheets of paper were placed on his lap. “What’s the meaning of this?” He asked groggily, rubbing his eyes impatiently while mumbling complaints with his eyebrows furrowing. The boy widened his eyes in shock as he placed his hands behind his back and bobbed forward and backwards with a cheerful grin on his face. Naturally. Nezumi pulled the curtains open allowing what was left of the setting sunlight to stream in, illuminating his little cave with a prism pink glow. The sky outside was like a chatoyant silk, it contained many colours that were a good variety of bright, cheerful as well as dark and gloomy. If one squints hard enough, one would have seen a couple of stars shining dully. 

Turning back to the boy whose smile could not be rubbed off his round features, his expression darkened when he didn't see his next meal on his lap. “Your Highness, do you remember the request you asked me not long ago?” He asked, his voice calm and collected as he watched him shuffle his position to find one that suited him best. He did this while never breaking contact with the boy’s innocent and unchanging gaze that dug its way into his soul. He nodded, glancing down at the writing materials on his lap before looking at the boy in front of him with a defeated look. “Alright, I’ll tell you what’s up in a minute,” Nezumi groaned as he stretched his arms while grabbing the pen in his hand. He cocked his head innocently, staring at the blank piece of paper on his lap for a little bit before quickly scribbling something on it. The boy looked at him in absolute awe, admiring his the fact that his handwriting was just as pretty as his elegant looks.

 

Beauty ran through his veins, as so it seemed.

 

Nezumi had a smile on his face. This smile, at least to him, was unreadable at all -- it was a mixture of unreadably complex emotions: dreamy, happy, sadistic and somewhat curious. He wrote everything in large, loose letters hence the letter was a lot shorter than it seemed but as always, he was sure that the message was absolutely beautiful. Until he opened his mouth and beauty was thrown out of the window for the time being. “Figured I’d thank Safu and I’ll drag her pretty thing into it,” he sniggered, twirling the pen in the air while crossing his legs, staining the sheets with bold black marks of the soles of his boots. Pinky gawked at him, shaking in his position while wearing an appalled look on his face. The prince folded the paper after signing it and handed it to the boy with a smug smile spreading on his face. 

Under the pretty sunset, his expression was more beautiful and mysterious than anything. That was probably why the boy was more enraged than usual. He snatched it from the prince, his face flushing a bright tomato red as he crossed his arms and whined like a child. “Your Highness,” the boy sneered, a bright, hot fiery glow at the back of his eyes seemed to shock him and throw him off his rosy laurels for a little bit as his eyes widened in amusement. “What is it?” He continued, a smile playing with his lips, relieved and happy that he was having fun too. The boy stretched his arms out with the letter in one hand, bouncing back and forth. “You know… Are you considering making that boy do all of this, your majesty? Especially since… you’re such a pain?” He retorted, folding his arms, a victorious look on his face when Nezumi began clapping with some form of victory, himself. He rested his head against the headboard with a cocky smile on his face.

 

“Oh… Could I trouble you to get him? In addition, make the pretty boy come in at ten,” he said, waving his hand in the air as if to dismiss any further counter-arguments.

 

“But your highness! That’s too harsh for a kid-”

 

“No need, he’s the same age as I. Be sure to convey to him that this is a royal order,” he cut the boy off before gesturing him to leave immediately. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is literally half of the first one but I think this series deserves an update after some time! It's kinda boring now but I want to make it a little more interesting as the updates keep coming in! Thanks much for reading!


	3. Pretty and Petty

The boy mumbled nothing but complaints since the very minute he stepped out of what he thought was a pigsty of a room -- the prince’s bedchambers to be true to his thoughts. It reeked, it was messy and it was full of nothing but literature rubbish that he would never understand even with proper education. Yet, he was doing whatever the prince wanted, simply because he wanted to in a way. “Masochistic? Is that what people my age call them out here?” He asked himself as he circled around the town square, taking in the soft sea breeze that flowed through the area as freely as water flowing through the ocean in the Blue kingdom not too far away. He pulled the coat higher on his shoulders, careful to not get any hair entangled in the loose loops of fabric on the collar. The buildings that surrounded him appeared to be sweet and decent to him (shabby and uncultured to the Royal Highness, of course). They were mostly shaped to appear like large boxes with light washes of pale green and ivory over them; they were at least three stories high, a comfortable height to host a couple of families and households at one time; in between each building, there were large trees with flowers as their crowns as well as street lamps that emanated a warmth that was similar to those of a comfortable fireplace. It was at this time of day when he truly loved the sound of his shoes moving along the nooks and crannies of the cobblestone path as he skipped along to the beat of the jazz band that would always be there for the sole purpose of earning a few more pennies and dimes to make it through the rough spells of storms and blizzards.

 

The sides of the roads were the perfect shade of white, for his coat to blend in with them, if not for the gold patterns on the back. Within the snow carpet, there were spikes of black and brown provided by large branches every once in a while. As he ambled on towards the centre of town, he was greeted by a large ice sheet, covering what was meant to be one of the biggest moss lakes in the kingdom. Legend had it, he recalled, that algae once populated the clear waters, which were packed with nutrients that flowed in through microscopic streams from nearby farms. Eutrophication, he finally remembered it with that eureka moment. Small families were playing on the ice sheet, blissfully having fun while giggling and laughing happily under the setting sun. Sooner rather than later, street lamps were turned on, illuminating the jovial and convivial scene with a peaceful, silvery glow that was comforting and relaxing after a long and hectic day. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, he hesitantly gazed around, helpless and too horribly awkward to ask anyone if they had seen the wanted boy. Sighing, he ruffled the top of his hair before strolling in the only direction that seemed most reasonable -- forward. As he walked, he gradually reduced his speed as his thoughts began to manifest in the depths of his brain. “I hate this…” He mumbled, shaking his head as defeat washed over him like a raging tsunami. “How can I possibly find him now… At this moment?” He questioned while stomping his feet like a child throwing a tantrum.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a pair eyes that were all too familiar to the boy. Just like Pinky, he walked around enthusiastically with a bounce in his step. There was no hood to cover half of his face like before but rather, it was his subtly wavy bangs that covered his eyebrows. They made eye contact for a brief second, resulting in the both of them offering each other courteous smiles and friendly bows. Upon realising the situation, the boy gasped as he began to follow in his footsteps to chase after him. He slithered through crowds of people that gathered at popular stalls to follow after the sight of a green jacket that tapered just above his hips, covering his long white shirt and ankle-length pants that led the eye to a pair of dusty old boots that were coated with dirt. That shade of green was one of the prince’s favourites, maybe that was why his eyes were empty and stricken with fear when he followed it. His target emanated an aura that was so childlike and pure that even he was smitten by it at first glance. He went to a stall that sold some vegetables that he had apparently never seen before, especially since his eyes grew larger and so did his smile. “Never seen stuff like this before?” The boy asked out of the blue as he approached his side. He looked at the boy with the same pure childlike innocence as before. To answer this question, he nodded with enthusiasm before looking down at the plethora of vegetables that were all laid out neatly in nearly perfect straight line formations. Pinky hummed, nodding in interest as he picked three green flowers with red fruits in the middle before paying for them on the spot. 

 

“You must be hungry right? At least try some of the things here… You’ll probably regret it but still, it’s pretty good,” he shrugged, grabbing the paper bag and his hand rather aggressively as he walked away from the stall to settle down on a pile of abandoned crates and baskets in an alleyway with a light, petty grin. “You’re one of the Prince’s guys right? The one that met with Queen Safu not too long ago…” He asked, his eyebrows raising in interest as he studied him closer. He hummed again, winking as he gave a thumbs up before snapping his fingers the moment he realised the pale, chatoyant sky being enveloped gradually with a thick, somewhat suffocating darkness without a single trace of moonlight. He gulped, glancing at his watch, noticing that time was slipping by further than anticipated. Walking around in this area of the kingdom (the central area), made his perception of time warp and bend in the most bizarre ways. Despite that, he chuckled with a bright smile on his face as he handed the bag to him almost instinctively, as if it was all okay to do so since there would not be any known consequences for being friendly and nice. Shion thanked him, a hesitant smile formed on his face as he accepted the paper bag and began to look inside. “It’s well… A couple of things that don’t taste absolutely horrible. If you’re looking for a good meal then you came to the wrong place but really the Green Kingdom is the wrong place in all aspects anyways. I can only thank a certain someone for that… Well take that as an apology token,” Pinky said with a fake smile as he stood up from the old and mouldy apple crate to extend his hand out. 

 

In Shion’s eyes, the scars on his hands were like constellations in the night sky. He studied them curiously before Pinky gestured him to grab it as quickly as possible. He held onto it, hesitant and oddly careful as he held onto the hems of his jacket awkwardly. “Is there something wrong?” Shion asked, his eyes widening as he looked at the boy’s dull eyes. Over time, his hair came to resemble a small pond of moonlight, along with the red lines on his face and neck, it looked rather charming and pretty to the boy and hopefully to the fussy and highly irritable prince. He smiled sweetly, nodding his head while pulling him up. He cocked his head to the side while nodding as he gazed into his red eyes, that was not something anyone could hide easily or on a whim; it was plenty to expose him as a foreigner. That was what’s wrong with the boy. “No, nothing! Would you come with me then? I-I have something up for you, w-will you?” He asked, tripping on his words as he scratched the back of his head, face flushing a brighter shade of red as he looked down at his shoes, refusing to look up at the person who looked at him so kindly and prettily. Shion giggled and agreed, albeit there was thick and heavy hesitation lacing his every word. There were crow’s feet appearing on the corners of his eyes as he smiled, making him appear more mature than the average boy but his purity was forever youthful. “Okay, but we need to hurry so…” He continued before running along the pathway, knowing that he would follow behind as quickly as he had started running.

 

* * *

 

 

The prince wandered around the main chamber, gazing at the opulent treasures that filled the room blankly and somewhat timidly. Like most days, he chose to study everything carefully and with actual effort, with hopes to get inspiration for a performance that he had planned. As if caught in his own fantasies and his imagination, he twirled around, imagining himself being clad in a long flowing dress that made his slender figure appear pretty and elegant. He sang songs, one after another, only changing them if he somehow forgot the lyrics halfway through. Anywhere would do, he thought as he leapt onto the edge of the staircase while singing and performing to an imaginary crowd in his brain. “Where would the flowers go, my lord? Where would the flowers go? It’s too beautiful to be in such a foul place! Put them over there! Where the sun shines bright and where the rain falls regularly!” He proclaimed, raising his hand up into the air as he twirled it around. He climbed the stairs, one step at a time as if performing a dance choreography. With each song, more stars began to appear in the night sky, each one shining brighter than before. “What a night, my lord! My lord!” He squealed even more, as he quickly became engrossed in his own delusional little world full of his characters and the songs that he had sung long ago.  

 

“My, my, what a scene, my lord,” Pinky laughed delightfully, walking in on the performance with a smirk. He clapped his hands slowly, appreciating the scene, pure sarcasm and annoyance emanating from his being as he stepped closer towards the prince-actor. In the process, he turned his head back with a laugh, gesturing him to follow him to close the distance. The prince nodded and began walking up the stairs, towards one of the many throne rooms that he liked to frequent for fun. Once Nezumi’s head had sunken down back down to earth -- reality -- he bit his lip and huffed. He groaned a little bit before walking up the stairs quickly, as if walking on air, in order to avoid any chance and possibility of a conversation of any kind. He paced up and down along the hallway, hesitant on the throne room that he would like to show both of them to. Would it be too bland? Too lame? Too goddamn dirty to even begin describing? What could anyone do at this point? Even Nezumi had lost track of the number of rooms the relatively small castle had. For one thing, it was full of black boxes (plain, rectangular or square rooms where the floors and ceilings are all blacks), perfect for theatre performances to happen, one after another. Another thing was that the paint on the castle walls was peeling and chipping off so much that it looked like a haunted house on the outside but on the inside, it was just as messy but it was full of opulent and luxurious goods, much like an Egyptian tomb. 

 

Nezumi sighed, reluctantly settling on the third room out of the five that lined the hallway. He opened the door, careful in his movements as he stepped to the side and gestured them both inside. “Welcome my treasured guests,” he snickered, a laugh from the pits of his stomach came along soon after. His eyes landed on the real guest’s face, interest and shallow, superficial adoration filled his face. With Pinky’s small smile and calm demeanour, Shion walked in too, careful to not step on anything that would be probably worth more than his life. Unlike the dusty and torn carpet that covered the hallway, the floors in this one were in prime condition, with the exception of treasure spilling from every corner and hole of the walls of the room. 

 

He tiptoed to follow along the both of them, who seemed to have a path created for them already. The prince made his way towards a lone throne in the middle of the room. It was made of marble, white one as it seemed, with golden stripes that highlighted and accented the simple and minimalistic silhouette of the throne in general. On the armrests, there were some patches of thick plain wool-like fabric that appeared soft and delicate to touch. The prince sat on it properly, resting his arms on the patches of wool while crossing his legs. He seemed so much like a painting of what a royal man should be, Shion thought as he stared at him present himself properly. He heaved a sigh of relief when there was a comfortable silence and distance in between them, even if it was just meant to be short-term.

 

“You-you-”

 

“Your Highness. Must I remind you again and again until it seeps into that brain of yours?” The prince sliced his train of thought into a million pieces as he spoke, his ambiguous intentions made clear that very second. 

 

“Right, sorry…” he muttered, lowering his head while folding his arms. He took a step back, hesitant and awkward to contemplate facing the prince properly. 

 

Nezumi nodded his head in satisfaction while unfolding his legs to lean forward and get a better view of him. He rubbed the base of his chin arrogantly as his eyebrows rose higher inquisitively. He was too interesting. “I suppose you have something to say or ask me?” Nezumi asked, a dominant smile spreading across his face as he stared at his features. They were round and pretty, perfect for a character who prioritizes innocence and purity over all else. The male in front of him had a clear yet shaky sense of honour that not only surprised the prince but it made him a little more curious. How naive and pretty. A wave of warnings rushed through Shion’s veins as his heart palpitated, forcing his brain to find something to say as quickly as possible to get him on his heels. He found himself cursing to himself, the voices inside of his head told him he was better off being a nonsensical coward and running away as soon as he could, run back home as quickly as his legs could carry him. Gulping, he lowered his head, ruffling his hair as he shook his head. “No. I have nothing to say or ask you specifically as a person but your ways are really sloppy and messy as a royal… Still, you have a job for me right? Tell me; spare the introductions. Who is it for, where do I need to go and when does it need to get there?” He folded his arms to stabilize his body that swung back and forth to the rhythm of the faint, seemingly non-existent breeze that blew through the door every once in a while as they spoke. 

 

All of a sudden, Shion’s cheeks burned a bright red as his eyes widened upon realising the words that he threw to the air. 

 

“I-I-”

 

“That rebellion… No, wait! Yes… I do have a job for you… Pinky!” Nezumi demanded, looking away from his pretty eyes to stare at everything else in the room. The boy nodded immediately and ran towards him meekly with a brand new concerned and hurried expression on his face; his hands were shaky as the letter felt like a soft, pure feather on his palm. Shion calmed down, sighing with a small smile as he looked at the boy in the eye as he accepted the folded piece of paper. He smiled again, saying his thanks warmly for placing the letter into his pocket. “Okay then,” Shion nodded, biting his lip as he pulled the hood over his head, concealing half of his face again, much to Nezumi’s slight disappointment as shown as his eyebrows furrowed. Shion peeked through the tip of his hood with a curious expression, his eyes glimmering to ask a question. “So, your highness… About my pay,” Shion cleared his throat to ask, his red eyes piercing through his soul, threatening to destroy his calm facade. Not today, death. Nezumi began laughing too soon as if rushing through his lines like an amateur. “Seriously? Even after you said that shit you can still ask me for pay?” He cackled in disgust, rolling his eyes while tears were still at the edges of his eyes. Shion unknowingly gave him a second glance, analysing his dark features that were beautiful yet dangerous like a sky full of dark rain clouds that he found to be the norm nowadays. He nodded profusely, despite Nezumi laughing his heart out. “Your Highness, it’s not fair-”

 

“Do you know what’s unfair? All of the injustices in the world,” he cut him off smoothly, his words like blades cutting through the air smoothly and gracefully like butter. He calmly stood up, arms folded and movements quick and delicate as he approached him while never breaking eye contact. Shion tensed up but his eyes burned with simple persistence and a strong moral basis. The prince came towards him and held the base of his chin, forcing him to look up into the clear depths of his grey eyes. “That’s the case because there are elitists who refuse to pay others who are “lower” for work,” he retorted in an even less graceful manner. He crossed his arms and stood his ground like a tree. The air immediately grew tense; the strong gale that once blew through the door quietened down to form a peaceful and gentle breeze. “Struck a nerve, your highness?” Shion added insult to injury as he bent forward to look at him again, proud that he stood up for himself but absolutely petrified of the events that could unfold. The consequences of his actions could have taken many paths, all of which ended in disaster, metaphorical storms and seething rage. Still, Nezumi stood down and raised his hands up. His gaze and attention were averted to the floor. His cheeks were burning a bright red and his grey eyes were full of defeat, anxiety and shock as he covered his mouth while shaking his head in protest and reluctance to accept his fate and situation.

 

“How much do you want?” He found himself asking meekly.

 

“Hmm, three pieces of gold… Maybe five if you want it there by midnight, your highness,” the messenger replied kindly. 

 

“Fine… Just leave now. I’ll give you the gold when you arrive back here…” He muttered an answer as his cheeks burned a brighter shade of red. By the time Shion left, he dropped to his knees, cheeks bright red and absolutely speechless. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's been a while... I feel like creating another one shot for these boys but I have no clue what to do about it. Also, I want to publish original works with some real original character but that'll be after this story and the Victuuri one is all finished! Plus a Shizaya story if I feel high enough.


	4. Rain's A Metaphor For Hope

“Safu’s kingdom, huh. What’s a prince like that gotta do with the queen?” He asked himself, cocking his head to the side as he hesitantly walked along the pathway to move further and further away from the palace. Sooner rather than later, the only things left behind by the experiences in the Green kingdom were the moonlight, the fading silhouette of the castle and his memories. He looked at the letter, it was just as sloppy as the kinds he would give to people on a whim, he thought as he walked along the linear path leading further away from the castle gate. He pulled on his jacket, the cold finding its way as it buried into his skin as he walked. Gazing upwards, he found the moonlight oddly calming enough for him to close his eyes and take in a deep, satisfying breath.

He continued walking along the path, scanning his surroundings to hopefully find a quick shortcut towards the Yellow Kingdom that he rarely visited, much to his surprise and disappointment. As he walked, the wind continued to blow through the gaps of his air and in between his fingers, freezing, tensing and numbing things. His cheeks were bright red from the cold; his slender frame was shivering; his numb fingertips were stained a pale, delicate frost blue. He hummed to himself, cocking his head from side to side to pass the time. Unlike the rest of the lively and beautiful town, the path to the castle was rugged and full of rocks that were mostly covered in thick patches and blankets of moss.

He could only rely on the moonlight to navigate his way through the path towards the kingdom. Squinting his eyes, he could roughly estimate the distance. “Damn it,” he cursed to himself as he glanced back towards the castle, which appeared to be a hazy and blank silhouette in the background. He nibbled on his lower lip rather nervously, leaving some bite marks on his lower lips towards the base of his chin. Taking a deep, sharp breath, he clenched his fists in determination and he made the conscious decision to dash forward to make up for lost time. In the night, his footsteps created a simple rhythm for him to continue moving forward, it was certainly better than the white noise mixed in with cicada songs in the background.

Behind him, there were subtle sounds that were familiar to him. For some reason, he refused to turn his head back to see a silhouette that was blurry and hazy. To put it simply, it was a form -- an entity -- a presence that was there chasing after him for some reason. It felt weird to Shion to have these thoughts as he kept walking forward. The further he went at this new faster pace, the closer this presence got to grab him. The presence was similar to a dark horse, creeping up on his weak spots stealthily and in a way that was as smooth and slick as a snake's movements. He bit his lip, forcing himself to not let out a blood-curdling scream he was well-known for. Sooner rather than later, he overcame his fear and hesitation and listened to his intuition. His feet began to progress from brisk-walking to a hasty run and eventually, a mad sprint. "What the-" he gasped, glancing back to see the presence solidifying itself to form proper shapes in the moonlight.

He cursed to himself under his breath as adrenaline burned through his blood as he dashed forward, following his instinct. He pushed through, resisting the flow of the gale pushing him backwards. The only thing that guided him was the moonlight illuminating the path for him -- he had nothing going for him. "Hey, you!" A familiar voice barked as he felt the presence become more pronounced and obvious. In an instant, he jerked to a sudden halt and that split second was enough for this presence to finally enter his field of vision. "Hey, you," the voice spoke again as it came towards him. "Stop running so fast for a change, damn it," it continued, panting heavily this time. At this moment, Shion calmed down and inched closer towards the presence that came closer towards him. The presence solidified itself in Shion’s mind, forming the image of a moose-like creature that was heads taller than him and covered in nothing but muscle and fat.

He stood there, his feet rooted to the ground as his body shivered. Straining his neck, he squinted his eyes to see that a dark figure was looking at him. It seemed rather feminine, rather pretty. He felt his eyes light up with excitement and stars began to fill the gaps of the redness in his eyes. The figure scooted forward, grunting in irritation as it patted the side of the creature’s overly muscular leg gently, signalling him to come up or something like that. “Oh, brother…” He muttered to himself as he clenched his jaw and did as the figure signalled him to do.

“Good boy,” the same voice spoke again as he eventually turned behind to reveal his true form -- that sloppy prince. However, there seemed to be some slight changes that he teasingly quizzed Shion on with a smug expression. Let’s see… Shion thought as he stroked the base of his chin as he thought intently. He seemed to be less obnoxious, less stuck-up and arrogant now, but he was still as pretty and charming as before so there was nothing much there. There was the appearance to think about: longer hair and a delicate, diaphanous dress that was a dull blue colour. “Hmm… Well… What changed about you?” He asked softly to himself, his expression becoming darker to match the darkness of the night. Colour drained itself out from his face as he subtly moved backwards the larger his smirk became. “You’re less… Well…” Shion struggled to start as he held on to his jacket and the letter that was in the pocket. The prince furrowed his eyebrows and leaned forward, giving him a questioning and inquisitive look while at it. It was at the point where Shion felt his balance was a little bit more than of course. Half of his body was over the edge; cold sweat was dripping down his face. Would it be suicide if I just fell over? He thought to himself as he pondered over the distance he had to deal with. I won’t necessarily die but I have a job to do, plus my mom’s probably going to be angry when word of this spreads so I should think this through, huh? He mumbled to himself, making his thoughts a little well known to the prince.

“You seem a lot nicer now, it kind of matches your face, your highness. You’re a lot less obnoxious and for some reason, you’re actually quite pretty in this light, your highness. In addition to that, your highness-”

“That’s enough! I don’t need your shit now,” he cut him off snappily, his playful smile darkening to an angry frown. All of a sudden, he emanated a dark aura that reminded Shion of the feelings, dejection, irritation and annoyance. He laughed a little bit at the child throwing a tantrum. He smiled softly as relief and a sense of comfort came to him. “Also, your highness, it’s nice to see you… I thought I was alone so seeing you, albeit a little angry, is quite comforting, even if you do want to kick me off, ha ha ha. Thank you, though… Thank you so much,” Shion replied, speaking from the depths of his thumping heart as he smiled warmly. He hesitated as he glanced at him, biting his lower lip once again. The prince stared at him with a slight smile of his own; his face had a light pink hue to it that was too obvious to dismiss; without a word, he laughed and pulled on the ropes, causing the moose to dash forward along the path. Shion widened his eyes and gasped as he placed a hand on his head as a natural instinct. The surroundings seemed to go by so quickly that he would rather be walking on his own despite this making up for lost time. The moose grunted and panted as it ran along the pathway, moving faster with each step that it took, much to the prince’s amusement. “A little too rough for you, little boy?” He sniggered, turning his head back sharply to make eye contact. Shion nodded almost immediately, his eyes glimmering with fear. He began to laugh heartily as the moose slowed down a little bit.

“Hold onto me, yeah? Hold onto me like you're clinging to dear life. The Queen isn’t that far away so you’ll be just fine, my sweet,” Nezumi spoke, flicking his long hair to one side of his back as Shion pressed his forehead against his shoulder, his arms wrapped around his waist hesitantly, shaking and trembling helplessly like a child in the process.

 

* * *

 

“C’mon, don’t act like that…” The prince whined, staring at him with puppy eyes as he got atop of the moose’s back first, leaving a slightly shivering Shion on the ground. A sense of guilt and empathy bubbled inside him just by seeing the sight that was in front of him. “You’ll freeze out here, get on!” Nezumi demanded, practically slapping the side of the moose’s thigh, making the animal moan in both pain and annoyance. The other began to chuckle light-heartedly. Sooner or later, he finally gave into his simple desire to burst out laughing that had been inside of him for a while. Shion smiled again, turning his body so his back would face the prince. Shion stretches his arms out in delight and relief before he began walking along the path where the moose left its footsteps on. They were deeper than he could possibly imagine. He walked with his head looking up into the sky, half-heartedly expecting a dark and vibrant cerulean blue as the primary colour of the night sky. He had also expected to see stars that were like large chunks of pure, beautiful diamond. In the place of stars, there were small, multiple grey clouds that lined the sky like an army. In each dark and dull storm cloud, there were strokes of lightning that would emanate a glaring white light that was shielded by the clouds. After several of them, there would be rumbles and grumbles of thunder.

“I miss the stars,” Shion mumbled as he dragged his feet forward deeper and deeper into the darkness that enveloped the Yellow Kingdom ahead of him. Somewhat sensing the danger, he started skipping along, following the footsteps like a child while the moose started moving to catch up to him, albeit a bit reluctantly. Thunder continued to rumble in the sky as Shion skipped nonchalantly while humming. “Hey! Airhead! Shion!” A familiar voice interrupted his train of non-existent thoughts. Then, he heard the pebbles behind him toss, turn and crumble slightly under the pressure of the moose’s hooves. Unlike before, the boy decided to start running faster, as if the looming sense of danger was finally getting to him. “What they- What does he want?” He mumbled to himself as he stretched his arms out to maintain balance to run. The ground felt soggy and muddy, much like mouldy bread drenched in water; the pebbles would either get stuck at the base of his shoes or a couple of them would roll over, giving way for his foot to slip against the mud to let him fall flat on his face. There was no way of winning. It took him that long to figure that out. Adrenaline was on his side at least, he felt a strong gust of wind dash through the locks of his silver hair and sweat trickled down the contours of his face, appearing ring like large pearls in the moonlight.

“I did your thing already! You paid me already when we were at the entrance of the palace!” Shion reminded in heated pants as he gave up, leaning over and holding onto his kneecaps for support. Warm tears of fatigue and exhaustion gathered at the corners of his eyes as he turned back to look at him. Those eyes were slender in nature; they were a deep tone of grey that was perfect for reflecting the sun, moon and stars or whatever it was in the sky; his dull navy hair was mostly concealed in a black hood that reminded him of his own hood that he regrettably left somewhere else. Still, his thoughts started to take their own course until he snapped himself out of his own trance. “What do you want with me?” Shion demanded as he furrowed his brows together to form a line of anger. The prince glared at him, standing on the moose’s back with his back erect to appear more menacing in the moonlight. Shion’s eyes glowed in defiance and disgust as he made eye contact with him. Eventually, he jumped off the moose with a spring in his step the same moment when thunder began to rumble louder than before, all of this with his theatrical intuition in charge of the timings. “I need your service, Shion of the fallen Red Kingdom. It would be bad if one of my servants got hurt in his first errand now, wouldn’t it?” Nezumi taunted, holding onto the edge of the collar of Shion’s white shirt and pulled him closer towards him.

Nezumi took this rare chance of seeing a meek and shy Shion to run a finger along the red mark that ran along his face, to look deeper into his red eyes that were like a warm, hot fire. It reminded Nezumi of his days spent relaxing by an inglenook as soups and ratatouille were being made in the royal kitchen not too far away. All of a sudden, his grey eyes formed crescent moon shapes, giving way to form a smile that was warm, relaxed and gentle. Shion clenched his jaw and frowned, clenching his trembling fist as he glared at him, his rage heightening with every second their eyes were in contact with each other. “I’m not your servant, your highness, I’m a-” His words were cut off with a wave of silence that drowned out any mumblings he had yet to scream at him. In the moment, his eyes widened with stars twinkling in the depths of his eyes. Quietly and subtly, his upper eyelid began to close and his arms wrapped around his waist.

Their lips interlocked quite awkwardly, especially since Shion avoided his advances half the time. Satisfied, the prince pulled away with a calm, charismatic and subtly condescending smirk plastered on his face. On the other hand, Shion’s round face was bright red, almost resembling a tomato. Nezumi began laughing once he saw that, pinks erupting from the depths of his handsome features. “What are you to me, my sweet boy?” He asked, holding him by his waist this time, pulling him closer with lightning illuminating his soft and comforting silhouette.

Shion’s heart palpitated heavily, he felt the ground judder beneath him as he stared at the prince. A thicker, more substantial smirk formed on one corner of his lips. It took him more effort and energy for him to regain his composure. His lips felt a little numb and his head was hazy; everything about his mannerisms resembled those of a flustered madman. Think, Shion, think, he constantly reminded himself as he dug a few fingernails into his scalp, messing up the sides of his hair. His eyes averted down to the ground, at his feet as a way to help him improvise on what he was supposed to say. The thunder boomed again, causing Shion to jerk away from his cold touch. He laughed and shook his head, forcing himself to look at the prince in the eye as he answered his question calmly.

“I’m nothing to you, your highness — a plaything or something to make fun of when you have nothing better to do, your highness. Stop following me. I can go home on my own,” Shion replied as he prepared to sprint away at the speed of light again until Nezumi dragged him along to pull him upwards up on the moose’s back. “Don’t you dare,” he growled heavily like an animal, his features hardening in anger. He took the coat off and placed it atop of Shion’s head, adjusting the hood by patting his head with enough force to match the tension between them to keep it flat. “Piss me off again and you will never see the end of it, got it?” He warned, his expression darkening again as he pulled Shion’s hands forward to wrap around his waist. Hesitantly, Shion placed his head on one side of his shoulder, only to hear his heartbeat that made his face redden even more. As the moose dashed forward, his head was filled with the sounds of thunder and the bright flashes of lightning that lit up the sky.

Instantly, rain began to fall, filling the void that the lack of stars created in Shion’s mind. He lifted his head up from the warmth of his back to see the rain falling, each individual drop reflecting off their own share of the moonlight. His eyes widened in awe and a smile stretched itself from ear to ear as he continued looking up in pure glee. Naturally, it was nothing special but it was like he was trapped in the scene of an idyllic fairy tale movie. “They’re just like stars…” Shion mumbled, inching closer towards the prince instinctively. In response, he hummed, remarking that they were stunning but he had better things to focus on. Of course, Shion laughed along but with a little more sincerity and kindness in his voice. “It’s so pretty and lovely… I must be dreaming… Your Highness…” he trailed off, his eyes closing. Warm tears landed on his shirt and coat as he pressed his head against his back again. This had to be the only time… It had to be. Guilt or surprise never once crossed his mind as Shion closed his eyes and mumbled incoherent gibberish. Those thoughts were beautiful at least, Nezumi figures as he couldn’t help himself but hear him speak so calmly and freely as if he had nothing to lose. The rain was a metaphor for hope—stability, he interpreted it as such as he rubbed the base of his chin, a habit he adopted subconsciously while thinking.

“Aren’t the stars just stunning tonight?” Nezumi asked teasingly with a playful smile forming on his face, replacing his expression that was fuming with rage.

“Yeah… They’re stunning, your highness…” Shion replied dreamily, his head cocked to the side in happiness as he looked up at the sky, enjoying the warmth of stability for once. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was the quickest and most enjoyable update to write! Anyways, I wanna do a Hetalia fanfiction (conflicted between Gerita and Ameripan LOL) I'm leaning more towards the latter but I want to give something to the former as well. Anyways, thanks much for reading and please stick around for the next update! Thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Have a lovely day ahead :D I hope you guys like it!


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